Park University may begin offering classes this fall in a downtown Gilbert building that Saint Xavier University vacated in 2016.

The private, liberal arts university's main campus is in Parkville, Missouri, with 43 campus centers around the country, including at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.

In Gilbert, Park University would aim to enroll at least 300 students and offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, communications, criminal justice, wellness and education, according to town documents. The university would also look to field sports teams in its second year by using town venues, documents show.

“Park University looks forward to the opportunity to open a campus in ... Gilbert, pending the results of the Town Council vote on Thursday night," said Brad Biles, Park University spokesman. "Pending the Town Council’s approval, the University will make a formal announcement on Friday and members of Park’s executive staff will be available for comment.”

The Gilbert Town Council is scheduled to vote on the three-year lease Thursday. The university would pay the town nearly $175,000 in rent the first year and $312,330 in the second and third years, according to town documents.

The university would rent 10,411 square feet on the first floor of the four-story building, according to the documents. Park would have the option to expand its footprint and extend the lease another six years under the proposed agreement.

The vote comes 18 months after St. Xavier opted to leave after the town borrowed $37 million to build the facility at 92 W. Vaughn Ave.

"Gilbert is excited to bring forth a lease agreement with Park University to occupy the University Building located in the Heritage District," said Gilbert spokeswoman Jennifer Alvarez, who declined further comment until Friday.

The idea was to bring higher-education options to the town with a satellite campus for Illinois-based Saint Xavier. But less than a year into its lease, the university announced it would cease operations in Gilbert at the end of 2016, citing budget challenges in its home state.

Saint Xavier paid the town $4 million as penalty for breaking its 15-year lease. Gilbert has used that to make debt payments on the building.

Even vacant, the building has cost taxpayers. The town spent just over $120,000 to operate the empty space during part of last fiscal year and expects to spend $290,000 this fiscal year.

The four-story, 87,000-square-foot building has been rented out for community events such as Goodwill's job fair and other private functions. It also has been used for University of Arizona's coding camps. UA paid the town $16,800 in rent, according to the agreement.